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For most of us food is more than just the nourishment needed for our survival, it’s also an emotional roller coaster (with many ups and downs).  One slice of chocolate cake can take us from desire, to exhilaration, to satisfaction, and often land us right into guilt.  Which is exactly why they call it a guilty pleasure.  But should we really feel guilty for eating something simply for the pleasure of it?  Of course not.  So why do we?

I’ll be the first person to admit that sometimes it’s easy to get sucked into that (post indulging) guilt.  But the truth is, the guilt can actually be the catalyst that spirals us into more emotional eating and even more guilt.  The remedy is to not allow yourself to fall victim to overeating guilt from the start.

When you make a mistake, treat yourself with kindness.

As with everything in life, we need to embrace our imperfections.  And regardless of how committed we are to a particular diet or healthy eating program, we always have to leave room for occasional guilty pleasures.  Try to focus on the “pleasure” part a guilty pleasures.  If you’re going to over indulge, at least enjoy every moment and savor every bite of your indulgence.

Here are some tips to help you avoid overeating and the guilt that often follows…

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January was Thyroid Awareness Month, and since an estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease (and up to 60% of them don’t even know it), awareness is more important than ever. Could you be one of the millions unknowingly suffering from this complicated medical condition?

Unfortunately, thyroid disease can be very hard to diagnose.  Not only can blood tests be inconclusive, but the symptoms are often associated with other health problems.

Knowing the symptoms and risk factors for thyroid disease is the best place to start.

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Christmas.  Is it the most wonderful time of the year?  Or the most stressful time of the year?  Would it surprise you to know that 8 out of 10 people suffer some degree of stress during the holiday season?

It’s true.

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Many people start to feel a little melancholy around this time of year, especially right after Christmas. It’s colder, and darker, and there are much less activities to keep us busy.  This early onset of night isn’t so bad when Christmas lights are everywhere you turn.   But when the lights go down, so do many people’s mood.  It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it makes you SAD.

Seasonal Affective Disorder affects millions of people every year, and for some reason, more women than men.  Are you one of them?  Or do you know someone who suffers with SAD?  The symptoms can be mild to severe, and understanding why this happens is the key to helping yourself or loved ones get through this seasonal depression.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

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Do you know someone who suffers with Alzheimer’s disease?  Or someone who is a caregiver to a loved one with this devastating disease?  If so, you understand the heartache associated with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Who are we without our memories of past experiences?  For most of us, the though of losing our memories to Alzheimer’s disease is horrifying.  But there is much more to Alzheimer’s than memory loss.

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This is a re-write from something I wrote back in January 2007…

Finding Empowerment Through Adversity

When we are suffering it is very difficult, if not impossible, to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  But it is there.  We will get through it.  And in time, our wounds really will be healed.

Can something good come out of adversity?  Often in the face of adversity, we are unable to see anything through our pain.  The only thing we can think about are questions.  Why is this happening to me?  How will I go on?  How will I survive?

Although we may want to, we should not turn away from our pain.  It is very important that we feel all of our feelings during these times of adversity and heartache.  Denying our pain, or denying our feelings, will not benefit us in any way.  In fact, it will likely prolong our troubles.  But if we look at our situation, and face our problems head-on…we will triumph.

We may sometimes feel like we are losing the battle; but when we push through the battle, we come out on the other side the winner of the war.  That’s because we are empowered when we conquer life’s toughest battles.  Only at these times of empowerment do we grow into the people we are meant to be.  Think about that for a minute.  Who would you be right now, if it wasn’t for the adversity you have been through in your life?

For me personally, I wish I had never had to go through many of the painful events of my life – loss, divorce, illness, betrayal, just to name a few.  But I also know that I would not be the woman I am today, had I not.  My past heartache and my past pain, are what make me the compassionate person that I am today.  And in retrospect, I don’t think I would want to be the kind of person who knows no hardships.  It is because of these hardships that I appreciate every thing I have, even the little things, the things that many people often take for granted.

I can now see that my past adversity, has truly been a blessing in my life.  And although I don’t look forward to future adversity, I do know it will come.  And when it does come, I will have the knowledge of my past strengths to help me overcome, and once again triumph.

My hope for everyone, is that they are able to one day look past their pain, to find their empowerment.

Anti-depressants have been in the news a lot recently.  There are new questions about anti-depressant use and the risk of suicide.  Questions about why anti-depressant use seems to be on the rise.  Questions about the risks of using anti-depressants during pregnancy.  And questions about the safety of using anti-depressants in adolescence.  Unfortunately, there are more questions than answers.

For me, these types of questions boil down to…Do the benefits outweigh the risks? And there is no right or wrong answer, I believe these questions need to be addressed on a case by case basis.

As with everything in life – Knowledge is power.  So in this post we will take a look at the latest news surrounding anti-depressant use, as well as links to information on diagnosis and treatment of depression.

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The latest research on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has it linked to a cancer-causing retrovirus…

Last week I was reading a lot about the latest research linking Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) to the XMRV Retrovirus.  Some of the articles even implied that people suffering with CFS (like myself) should be excited at the possibility that this news could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of CFS.  But, it’s not exactly good news for CFS patients, especially for patients hoping for a cure.  Here’s why…

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We all know that nothing stays the same.  And we know that life is constantly changing.  However, I think that we all under-estimate this fact in many ways.  What I mean is…When things are going great in our lives, we don’t think about the times that they weren’t so great.  And, when things are going badly and we are feeling sad, it’s sometimes hard to remember that we were ever happy.  In both these cases, it is important for us to not only remember, but to also reflect.

I think this is important because if we take some time to reflect on the bad days, on days that are going well for us, we can get a better perspective on our lives.  Seeing a bad day from the perspective of a good day, allows us to become “aware” of the notion that time heals.  Something that on our bad days, we may not be able to fully appreciate.

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Like many other moms out there, I’m getting ready to send my child off to college in a few weeks. So I thought a post that addressed some of the health and wellness issues of college students might be helpful.

One of the major health concerns for college students is Bacterial Meningitis…

Meningitis infection is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, headache, and stiff neck. It is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as…

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Understanding why we overeat is an important step on the road to making healthy food choices.  And for many of us, our unhealthy emotions are contributing to our unhealthy eating.

It’s called being an emotional eater.  Are you one of them?  I can admit…I am. I think if we are being honest with ourselves, we all do this to some degree. And in small doses, emotional eating isn’t so bad. But many of us have gone way beyond minor emotional eating. Many of us are using food to avoid dealing with our true feelings…and not only doesn’t it work, but it also compounds are troubles with feelings of guilt and anger toward ourselves.

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We all know that in order to be healthy (and happy) we need to get enough sleep. But still, most of us either don’t get enough sleep or our quality of sleep is lacking. Let face it, if you’re a mom you probably don’t get enough sleep. If you work you probably don’t get enough sleep. If you worry, you probably don’t get enough sleep. And if you’re a mom who works and also worries, you may have already forgotten what it means to get a good night’s sleep.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired all the time. I guess it doesn’t help that I stay up till all hours of the night doing my blog posts.

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KEEPING A PERSONAL MEDICAL JOURNAL — by Catherine Morgan – (cross posted at Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself)

Whether you are suffering from a chronic illness, pregnant, or just getting older. Keeping a personal medical journal, is important, and can really come in handy. Some may want to do this on a weekly or monthly basis, others on a daily basis, this will depend on the severity of your health issues.

STEP ONE: Just go out and get a notebook that you can use for this purpose alone. This journal will be helpful to you, as well as the medical practitioners you are working with. Especially, if you move, need to change doctors, or are hospitalized. Which reminds me, if you go on vacation, or extended holiday, bring your medical information with you, it will make it much easier if you need to see an unfamiliar physician, or be hospitalized.

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I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today, and then I came across this interesting article on how reading can reduce stress. Since I love to read, and I also love anything that can help me reduce stress, I thought this would be a great post for today.

Are you stressed about the economy? Your job? Your kids? Politics? It’s no secret that life is very stressful these days. So…What can we do to reduce stress? Apparently, reading a book is one of the best ways to reduce stress.

Reading is the best way to relax and even six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds or 68%.

New research by consultancy Mindlab International at the University of Sussex says reading works better and faster than other methods to calm frazzled nerves such as listening to music, going for a walk or settling down with a cup of tea.

Are you a reader? Does it help you relax and de-stress?

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Is stress wearing you down? Are you worried about the bad economy? Your job? The mortgage? Your health? Your family? If so, you are not alone.

Life is always changing, and that can feel very stressful. But often, seemingly bad things will happen in our lives, that will actually turn out to be the catalysts to something positive. It’s very true that when one door closes another will open. Although it never feels so great when that one door closes. Recently I’ve had several doors close on me. But as hard as it’s been, I can already see that these things needed to happen to bring me closer to where I am meant to be.

There are three things we can do to help relieve the stress in our lives…

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There is a difference between  feeling depressed, and being clinically depressed.  We all feel depressed from time to time.  But, how do we know when our feelings of anxiety or sadness, has crossed into something more serious?  That’s what Depression Screening is all about, and October is Depression Screening Month.  Maybe it’s you, or someone you know…But, awareness is the first step in recovery.

Here are some links that might help you understand depression, and the symptoms of depression a little better.  Learn how you can help yourself or someone you love.

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What do you do when you need a medication, but the cost is more than you can really afford? Even with insurance and a prescription drug plan, this has happened to me on several occasions.

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Can a good movie reduce stress? I’ve always believed that smiling and laughing is healing in some way. And, there is a lot of evidence that supports that theory. I also know that for me, music can deeply affect my mood. Some songs are sad reminders of the past, and others are happy reminders of experiences I never want to forget. Seeing the movie Mamma Mia with my daughter, and listening to all the music, is definitely going to be a lasting and happy memory for me.

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The Post BlogHer Blues and Bola Virus – How Are You Feeling? (cross-posted at BlogHer)

I had a GREAT time at BlogHer ‘08 in San Fransisco. But, like all good things, it has come to an end. Now, not only do I have the Post BlogHer Blues, but I’m also feeling very sick. I’m totally exhausted, with a headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, and my ears feel like they are going to explode.

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Dooce on Nightline – Posted by Catherine Morgan

In a much better interview than had been done by Kathie Lee on the Today Show last week, tonight’s Nightline interview with Dooce was witty, clever, and informative. Here is a video clip of the full segment on Nightline…

Are you a woman blogging about politics? Join us at The Political Voices of Women.

Fibromyalgia: An Invisible Disease? — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

I try not to be a complainer, but last week I was seriously not feeling well. I actually resorted to sending a message to the other women in my community to ask for help (and I’ve never done that before).

I thought I would take tonight’s post to talk about what was wrong with me last week, because I know many women are suffering with the same problem.

The good news is, I finally found a doctor in Florida that believes in my diagnosis. I was only changing doctors because I needed someone closer, I had long since given up on finding a doctor that actually understood or had compassion for my condition. So, you can imaging my shock when I went in for my initial appointment, and the doctor told me that not only did he understand what was wrong with me, but he wrote the book, literally. Can you believe it? What are the chances of that happening? I have to admit, my first thought was…This guy can not be from Florida.

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Stressing Over Money Can Make You Sick — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

Do you stress over money? I do. With the way the economy is going, if you’re not stressing over money now, you sure could be in the near future. Gas prices are going up, home values are going down, and what money we do have is buying less and less. The thing about stressing over money is…It doesn’t pay the bills. What it can do is make you sick.

Yes, stressing over money (or anything for that matter) can and does make you sick. How sick? Here is an excerpt from an article at About.com, that addresses Health Problems Associated With Stress…

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I think we probably have all suffered from some degree of emotional health issues in our lives.

Whenever someone talks to me about feeling depressed or anxious, the first thing I say to them is…you are not alone. We’ve all been there in some way or another. I also think that acknowledging you have a problem is half the battle. And that doesn’t make you “insane” or “crazy”. Really…How many “crazy” people realize they’re crazy? I think the most sane thing a person can do is admit they are feeling depressed or anxious, and reach out for help.

The Internet is a great place to get information, and there are a lot of sites with articles on dealing with stress and anxiety.

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